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Conservation Resources 
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Economic Circular No. 33 Issued December 5, 191 7 



THE EULACHON: 
A Rich and Delicious Little Fish.° 

This name, which looks like Greek, but is Pacific coast Indian, is 
pronounced U'-la-kon, not "hooligan " or "oolican," as it is some- 
times called in Alaska. Those who know the fish believe that it 
deserves the best name that can be applied to it, and that it is so 
much superior to the smelt that the common designation " Columbia 
River smelt," in addition to being a misnomer, is almost a reflection 
on the food qualities of the eulachon. The dean of American ichthy- 
ologists describes it as being " the finest food fish in the world — tender, 
fragrant, digestible" — and others who have eaten it are equally 
laudatory. It is probably the fattest of fishes, but its oil has a 
peculiarly delicate agreeable flavor and, when extracted, is solid at 




ordinary temperatures. In the abundance and consistence of its 
fats its nutritive value is more like that of the best grade of meats 
than is the case with most other fishes. 

The eulachon is a relative of the smelts and, more remotely, the 
salmons, and like them it has the habit of running into rivers and 
brooks for the purpose of spawning. It comes from its home in the 
coastal waters of the Pacific in vast numbers and after depositing its 
eggs dies, a fate which it shares with a small number of other fish, 
conspicuously its neighbors, the salmons of the Pacific coast. Each 
generation is exterminated as soon as it has provided its successor. 

Eulachons are found from Oregon north to Alaska. They are 
slender fish— when adult about a foot long— and although resem- 
bling the smelt in form, lack its brilliant silvery sheen. They are 

a By H. F. Moore, Deputy Commissioner, United States Bureau of Fisheries. 
19120°— 17 



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being placed on the market fresh, frozen, brine salted, kippered, 
and hard smoked and canned. The kippered fish will keep about 10 
days exposed to the air in a cool place, but can also be obtained in 
cans, in which they will keep like other canned fish. The frozen fish 
are as good as the fresh, but the consumer should buy them still 
frozen and thaw them in cold water just before using. 

Fresh and frozen (thawed) eulachon may be cleaned as follows: 

To clean, leaving (lie heads on. — Rub or scrape the scales off under 
water. Sever the fleshy projection which extends from between the 
pectoral fins forward between the gill covers to the junction of the 
lower jawbones. Grasp the gills of the two sides between the thumb 
and forefinger and pull them out; the stomach and gut will come 
with them. Any remaining viscera may be removed by placing the 
fish under water and firmly pressing with the thumb along the belly 
from vent to the opening between the gill covers, but as the portions 
remaining are likely to consist almost wholly of roe or milt, which 
are delicious and nutritious, it is well not to perform this last 
operation. 

To clean, removing the heads. — Scale the fish as prescribed above. 
Just back of the top of the head cut about halfway through the fish, 
toward the belly side. With the flat of the knife blade tear away the 
head and with it will come the stomach and gut and a small portion of 
the lower part of the fish. The roe and milt may be left in or removed, 
as described above. 

When served, after cooking in any manner, the bones may be readily 

removed by running a table knife along the back and laying the fish 

open. The backbone and ribs will be exposed and can be removed 

without breaking the flesh. 

RECIPES. 

FRESH OR FROZEN EULACHON. 

1. Fried eulachon. — Remove scales, heads, viscera, and tails. Do not split. Dip 
each fish in well-beaten egg and roll in yellow corn meal. Salt to taste and fry in a 
well-greased frying pan, turning the fish to brown both sides. Do not have fire too 
hot. Small sweet cucumber pickles go well with the fish or sliced lemon may be 
used. Accompany with crisp baked potatoes, which should be eaten skins and all. 

2. Fried eulachon. — Remove scales, gills, and viscera of one dozen fish, leaving 
heads on. Thoroughly mix 1 well-beaten egg, one-half cup of milk, and 1 tablespoon- 
ful of flour. Dip each fish, previously salted to taste, in the mixture, and roll in 
fine cracker crumbs. Fry brown in deep fat and serve with tartar or tomato sauce. 

3. Broiled eulachon.— Dress clean and wipe dry. Score a little across the back 
and broil slowly over a clear fire. Serve on hot platter. Season highly with lemon 
j uice and white pepper. 

4. Baked eulachon. — Remove scales, gills, and viscera of one dozen eulachon, leav- 
ing heads on. Do not split. Make stuffing of cracker meal, milk, a little salt, and 
chopped sweet peppers or paprika, and, if desired, a little powdered sage. Stuff . 
each fish with the mixture. Place in a well-greased pan and just cover with a mix- 
ture of 1 well-beaten egg, one-half cup of milk, and one-half cup of cracker meal 

DEC .20 1917 



or fine crumbs. Bake until rich brown on top. Serve from pan in whicn the fish 
are cooked. 

5. Baked eulachon. — Dress and clean, wipe dry, and rub with salt and pepper; lay in 
a baking dish with chopped onions, parsley, and fresh mushrooms. Pour in the pan 
enough thin broth or hot water to cover bottom of dish; add juice of onion (quantity 
according to amount of fish). Bake until flesh parts easily from bone; season gravy 
in baking pan; pour over fish on platter. Serve with sliced lemons and chopped 
parsley. 

6. Baked eulachon. — Dress and clean fish, split and lay open meat side up and season 
with salt and pepper. Place in a baking pan and bake from 15 to 20 minutes in a 
medium oven, brushing fish over once or twice while cooking with beaten eggs applied 
with a small brush or swab. Garnish with parsley and lemon. 

7. Steamed eulachon with drawn butter. — Prepare fish as if for frying. Line the 
bottom of a baking pan, or agate pan with a wet cloth, place fish in a row in pan, 
sprinkle with salt and white pepper, cover with another white cloth or napkin wet 
thoroughly with hot water. Cover with another pan. Place in oven to steam for 
about 25 minutes, basting frequently with hot water. When cooked, place on a hot 
platter, serve with drawn butter or tomato sauce, garnish with chopped parsley and 
sliced lemons. 

SALT EULACHON. 

8. Fried salt eulachon. — If the fish have not been cleaned, remove the viscera as 
described previously . Soak for one hour, wipe dry and prepare and cook the fish as in 
the recipes for fresh eulachon. 

9. Broiled salt eulachon. — After cleaning, soak, wipe dry, and lay on a broiler in a 
gas oven or over live coals (wood or charcoal preferably) . Broil until brown on both 
sides. Dress with pepper to taste. Serve with pieces of lemon. 

10. Boiled salt eulachon. — After cleaning, soak the desired number of fish one hour 
in cold water. Tie in cheesecloth bag and boil for a few minutes. Serve with egg 
sauce and boiled potatoes. 

11. Partly dried salt eulachon, broiled or baked. — Clean the desired number of fish 
without splitting or removing the heads. Run a slender stick or string through the 
eyes, stringing the fish in a row. Hang in strong sunlight or moderate artificial heat 
(over a stove) until somewhat wrinkled, but not hard (about half dried). When the 
fish are sufficiently dry, they may be broiled or baked, using no dressing. They are 
excellent served with crisp baked potatoes or potato chips for luncheon or light supper. 

12. Dried salt eulachon.— -Remove from brine and drain. Run a slender stick or 
strin* through the eyes and hang in strong sunlight or moderate artificial heat until 
thoroughly dry. If dried in the sun and out of doors, put them under cover at night 
and do not let them be exposed to any moisture, as the fish are so oily they may become 
rancid It will take from two to several days to dry them. When well dried they 
may be kept for a considerable length of time if sealed or tied up in a paper bag away 
from moisture. These fish thus prepared may be eaten uncooked, or broiled or baked. 
No other treatment is necessary. 

KIPPERED OR SMOKED EULACHON. a 

13. Broiled smoked eulachon. -Place fish on gridiron over glowing fire. When a 
rich brown, remove from fire and serve. 

14 Creamed smoked eulachon on toast. -Take 2 cups milk, 2 taolespoonfuls of floui , 
and 1 cup smoked fish cut into small pieces. Boil milk and flour, then add fish. 

Serve hot on toast. . , . , - 

15 Canave of smoked eulachon.-Cut 6 slices one-quarter of an inch thick from a 
stale loaf of bread, then cut ea ch into 2-inch square j)ieces^ Toast them to a nice 
T^^ases smoked fish are so salt as to require more or less soaking. The cook must use her judg- 
ment with the particular material in hand. 



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golden brown and lightly butter. Cover them with very thin slices of smoked fish 
nicely trimmed. Sprinkle over them a hard-boiled egg finely chopped, decorate; 
with a little parsley and quarters of lemon, and serve. 

16. Baked smoked eulachon in paper. — Wrap each fish in one or two thicknesses of 
paper (preferably the brown paper used by butchers), place in a pan, and put in a 
hot oven for one-half hour. The fish is thus thoroughly heated without being dried 
out. Before serving remove paper wrapping and the skin of the fish. 

17. Smoked eulachon a V Italienne. — The fish is well cleaned, washed in hot water, 
dried, and dredged with flour inside and out. Fry in deep, very hot oil, to which 
some chopped parsley is added, and serve with boiled macaroni. 

18. Smoked eulachon with rice. — Boil one-half pound of rice in 1 quart of bouillon 
until well done. Heat 4 tablespoonfuls of finely chopped onions with some butter 
and 6 mashed white pepper seeds; mix with the rice. Skin and bone the fish; cut 
into small pieces. Butter a plate, on which place half of the rice, then the fish, and in 
turn the rest of the rice. Form this into a pyramid, baste with a beaten egg, dredge 
with grated cheese and bread, add another small piece of butter, and bake, taking 
care that the plate does not get too hot from below. 

19. Smoked eulachon in ramekins. — Cream together 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1 of 
butter, Cayenne pepper, and a little salt. Work into this 2 cups of milk. Put on 
the fire, and when thoroughly heated add 2 cups of smoked fish that has been broken 
into flakes. Butter ramekins and fill with creamed fish. Set in a pan of hot water 
and bake for half an hour. 

SAUCES. 

Tartar sauce. — Make mayonnaise dressing in the regular form by rubbing yolk of 
eggs (raw) with olive oil, mustard, and salt, adding oil and vinegar alternately until 
good and firm. Add finely chopped pickles, parsley, and capers, stir all together and 
serve in a separate dish. 

Tomato sauce. — Place one-half can of tomatoes, a chopped onion, one-half tablespoon- 
ful of salt, one-fourth teaspoonful of pepper, and 1 clove in a pan and allow to simmer 
for 10 minutes. Rub through a sieve or colander. Heat 1 teaspoonful of butter 
mixed with a teaspoonful of flour, add the tomatoes gradually, stir until smooth, and 
allow to simmer 5 minutes. 

Drawn butter. — Mix together in a small saucepan 1 heaping teaspoonful of butter, 
the same quantity of flour, and a little salt. Add one-half pint of hot water, and 
place saucepan in a larger pan of hot water until required. Pour over the fish, which 
also may be sprinkled with chopped parsley and the yolk of a hard-boiled egg. 

Egg sauce. — Mix 3 ounces of butter (unmelted), 2 ounces of flour, salt and pepper, 
and a little nutmeg if desired. Add 1 pint of boiling water and stir until smooth. 
Boil for a short time and stir in the yolks of 2 eggs and a little lemon juice. Press 
through a wet cloth and add 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine. 



WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1917 



Conservation Resources 
Lig-Free® Type I 
Ph 8.5, Buffered 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 524 246 # 



